Carothers comments on drunk driving at URI

04/18/02 - Drunk driving is a problem that affects the University of Rhode Island and the surrounding communities, but no excuse - not even police breaking up a party - is reason enough for students to drive drunk, President Robert L. Carothers said."I always laugh when people say the university is forcing people to do illegal or immoral things, " Carothers said, referring to drunk driving.

Carothers said he is aware large parties have been broken up off campus and some students may have driven home intoxicated as a result. He said, however, there are no statistics to support the belief that more students drive drunk now than did when alcohol was allowed at campus events.

"I don't think there's any less people going to parties down the line but there isn't any more," Carothers said.

Dean of Student Life Fran Cohen said after the university changed its policy, the school stayed in close contact with the Narragansett Town government to monitor how the new laws would affect the town. In the three years after the university changed its policies, Cohen said there was no increase in arrests for driving while intoxicated. There was also no jump in the number of police called to bars or to break up large parties.

However, South Kingstown Police Chief Vincent Vespia said more problems have arisen off campus since the university's policies were changed.

"Of course with the zero tolerance policy on campus, off campus illegal activity has increased," Vespia said.

Statistics show many URI students have a drunk driving problem. In 1993, a study done by the Harvard School of Public Health showed 37.8 percent of students drove after drinking alcohol in the past 30 days. Only 10.2 percent of students said they had driven after having five or more drinks.

The same study showed that in 1999, 34.6 percent of students drove after drinking alcohol and 16.8 percent of students drove after having five or more drinks. A similar study, conducted in the Spring of 2001, shows a slight decline in driving after having anything to drink.

Dan Reilly, director of substance abuse prevention services, said the most recent numbers are somewhat encouraging.

"Some people are making wise choices, Reilly said. "Most students on this campus don't drive drunk."

Reilly said faculty members he has spoken to say the student body has become more sober as a whole, with fewer students attending class drunk or hung over since the university began its campaign against on campus drinking.

Drunk driving shouldn't be blamed on the police or university, Reilly said, because students shouldn't have their cars with them if they plan to drink.

Carothers said students shouldn't drive drunk even if being instructed to do so by a police officer.

"There's less risk involved in disobeying police officers than there is in drunk driving," Carothers said.

Cohen said she is glad students have become vocal about police asking drunk students to drive home from parties or bars. However, drunk driving is a serious problem, no matter the cause or frequency, she said.

Drunk driving, Cohen said, is a problem with many possible solutions.

Administrators dismissed the idea of a shuttle from down-the-line bars to campus for a number of reasons.

Reilly said schools that have implemented similar systems have found an increase in alcohol-related problems and Cohen said the University of Connecticut cancelled their program because of a lack of riders.

The idea of a shuttle is often discussed, Carothers said, but insurance companies are unwilling to cover such a bus due to risk.

"Basically, no carrier wants to take on that contract," Carothers said.

Administrators agree drunk driving is a problem that won't be solved easily.

Both Cohen and Reilly said education is needed to change student's attitudes towards designated drivers. Increased enforcement, Cohen said, can improve the situation. Narragansett, South Kingstown and URI have co-written a grant proposal requesting an additional $400,000 for increased DWI patrols.

"People have always gone off campus to socialize," she said. "We're interested in people getting back and forth safely."

Despite the variety of approaches the administrators suggest, Carothers, Cohen and Reilly all agree the decision of whether to drive drunk is in the students' hands.

"The fundamental thing is that students have to take responsibility for their own behaviors," Carothers said. "The goal is not to arrest people. It's to keep folks from doing injury to themselves or others.